Northampton Saints fly-half Dan Biggar believes fellow backs George Furbank and Rory Hutchinson both have what it takes to make it at the very highest level of rugby.
The talented pair of Saints Academy graduates have already made a lasting impression on the seasoned Welsh international.
In his three seasons in Black, Green and Gold, Biggar has featured in several different backlines – alongside some 26 different Saints backs – with a host of fully-fledged internationals on the list of those the No.10 has lined up with behind the scrum.
But the 24-year-old duo have been among the most impressive according to the Wales fly-half, with Biggar touting Furbank and Hutchinson as two of the brightest prospects in the game already.
Hutchinson’s flair for attack has already gained the Saints centre recognition on the international stage, with his silky playing style earning him his first Scotland cap back in 2019.
Biggar believes that Hutchinson is already one of the best in the country at what he offers going forward and tipped the centre to have a long international career.
“We play with a second playmaker in Rory Hutchinson,” Biggar said.
“He is, in my opinion, one of the very best in his position in the league at being that second playmaker.
“Rory is brilliant in the way he communicates and scans what’s going on and feeds that information in.”
Dan Biggar
“He takes a lot of pressure off me in terms of what I have to do with my eyes, instead I can focus more on the speed of the ball and what my skill has to be when I receive it.
“My opinion is that Scotland should pick Rory at 12 and stick with him for the upcoming Six Nations; you can’t put him in for a game and take him out again if he makes half a mistake.
“But if I was playing for Wales against Scotland, I wouldn’t want to have Rory Hutchinson lining up opposite us, as he makes that second playmaker position look so easy. He’s got the ability and with the ball in hand, he’s a special talent.”
And Biggar was quick to heap the same kind of praise on Furbank – whose stellar performances in recent years have not only cemented his place in Saints’ starting line-up, but earned him three England caps so far to boot.
“The best way I can describe Furbs is that he is a very, very talented rugby player,” Biggar added on the Saints fullback.
“You can play him at fly-half or fullback, you could maybe play him as that second playmaker at centre even and Furbs would make a good fist of it.”
Dan Biggar
“He’s just a very, very good rugby player with a good skillset and a good temperament and he’s brave as anything as well.
“I thought he was excellent to go out to Leinster and play ten at short-notice. I know Eddie [Jones] has mentioned playing him at ten, but I honestly think you could play Furbs pretty much across the backline and you’d get a decent performance out of him – he’s that good a rugby player.
“That’s the biggest compliment I could give to George, though he takes a fair bit of stick from the boys, as a rugby player he’s pretty good at it.”
